Posts Tagged ‘heart’

Herbs and supplements are a largely unregulated market in the US. And now there’s new concern about an herbal supplement, aconite, which can be toxic to the heart. Aconite is a flowering plant that is commonly known as aconitum, monkshood and wolfsbane. It has also been called “herbal valium” because it can cause sensations of tingling and numbness. In higher doses it can slow down the heart and cause low blood pressure and heart rhythm abnormalities. Most homeopathic preparations containing aconite are likely safe since the aconite is appropriately diluted. However, consumers should be aware that herbal preparations may contain higher amounts and may cause dangerous side effects, especially if you have a heart condition. Speaking to your health care provider about any herbs and supplements you may be interested in taking is a good idea – it can serve to educate both you and your doctor! [via Medical News Today]

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The morning after daylight savings time begins is usually more stressful due to the decreased amount of sleep we get. Which is why we will begin this week of doses with something less taxing…the anatomy of sword swallowing. First of all, did you know that sword swallowers really do swallow swords? There’s no trickery, illusion, or slight of hand here. All it takes is plenty of practice and getting your body to do what it reflexively doesn’t want to. Suppression of the gag reflex is the first thing, followed by learning to flick your epiglottis out of the way with the sword on the way down through your airway and into your esophagus, keeping in mind that your heart nestles right next to it and any wrong doing could potentially cause serious damage. The remainder of the feat requires you to navigate through the lower esophagus and finally into the stomach at which time you must suppress the stomach’s retch reflex. Sounds simple? Continue reading about removing the sword…

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Drinking too much this holiday season can do more than cause a bit of inebriation. Consuming relatively large amounts of alcohol can cause what physicians term “holiday heart syndrome“, a condition where alcohol stimulates the heart to go into arrhythmias (an abnormal heart rhythm) – even in healthy individuals without cardiac problems. Symptoms of holiday heart syndrome typically include palpitations, shortness of breath, lightheadedness, and chest pressure/pain or discomfort. This condition can occur during any periods of increased alcohol consumption – binge drinking on weekends, during vacations, and, of course, during holidays. It’s usually self-limited and benign. But if you feel any of the symptoms above for an extended amount of time (minutes to hours), you should get checked out by your physician or seek medical attention at the emergency room. The only way to prevent holiday heart is to use your judgment in exercising moderation.

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Happiness can be infectious, and now researchers from the University of California San Diego say they can document it. By looking at years of data collected from the Framingham Heart Study, researchers looked at self-reported happiness ratings and found out that happiness spreads among people up to three degrees removed from one another. The study found that you are 15% more likely to be happy if a direct connection is happy, 10% if a friend of a friend is happy, and 6% if it’s a friend of a friend of a friend. Sadness, too, can spread, albeit more slowly.

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Doctors are hoping the results of a new study led by Johns Hopkins University will pave the way for standardized noninvasive imaging of coronary arteries by using newer, more powerful CT scanners. Currently, angiograms are considered the gold standard for detecting blockage of arteries in the heart. However, angiograms (also called cardiac catheterization) are invasive procedures with many risks. CT scans, on the other hand, carry less risks and are noninvasive. Researchers have found that 3D scans produced by CT scanners can accurately pinpoint the size and location of blockages, but not nearly as well as a traditional angiograms. Additional studies will be needed to clarify exactly how this technology can be best used in the detection of coronary heart disease.

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Are men and women truly different at heart? Perhaps, when it comes to heart transplants. A new Johns Hopkins University study finds that cardiac transplant patients have better odds of survival and a lower risk of rejection if they receive organs from donors of the same sex. Doctors think that heart size is an important factor. Men’s hearts are bigger and have more pumping capacity than women’s. Researchers believe that hormonal and immunologic differences between the sexes may also play a role. However, at this time it is not feasible for every person in need of a heart transplant to be paired with a perfect match – approximately 2,700 Americans are waiting for a heart, but only 2,200 heart transplants are performed annually.

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Research presented this week at an American Heart Association conference warns of the potential dangers headphones can impose on implanted pacemakers and defibrillators. In a study of 60 people with these devices researchers found when headphones were about an inch from the device, interference was detected nearly one-fourth of the time — in four of the 27 pacemaker patients and 10 of the 33 with defibrillators. A pacemaker even reset itself in one patient. This interference occurs whether the headphone is plugged in or not. The reason this happens is because headphones, especially small earbud types, contain neodymium, one of the most powerful and concentrated magnetic substances. Dr. Kenneth Ellenbogen, a heart device expert at Virginia Commonwealth University and a spokesman for the heart association, said the solution is simple: “Keep your headphones on your ears and when they’re not on your ears, you shouldn’t put them over your chest or your pacemaker.” Although headphones are still safe to use, in general it is a good idea to keep small electronics at least a few inches away from any implanted cardiac devices.

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